Question answered by Liz Wegman, Director of Public Relations and Development at PTPI
4. How do you think reading this book would influence how you experience Australia? When you travel, do you read beforehand, to get a better sense of the place you are visiting? Has a travel experience ever been enhanced or diminished by what you’ve read? Do you bring any pre-conceived notions?
Okay, I cheated a bit because I read this book WHILE I was traveling through Australia about two years ago. I picked it up on a whim before I left on the trip and it was one of the best things I’ve ever accidentally done. Since I loved the book I think it almost made me love the country even more. It opened my eyes to my surroundings in a new way (always on the lookout for whatever deadly creature perhaps) and gave me an appreciation of the spirit of the people. I think it makes one a more confident traveler when armed with a few facts about the history of a country or a few insights into a country’s people.
In the past I have tried to read fiction that was set in the country I was about to visit, to get a different sort of feel for the place, beyond facts about history, art, architecture, etc. This may be a risk because my reaction to one particular book could definitely enhance or diminish my travel experience. One of my favorite experiences was reading a book about the ghosts of Venice right before I went. It made the city seem spooky to me, but in a good way – I was mindful of all of the presences that had existed there in centuries before.
The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of People to People International or that of PTPI’s Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.